Tech Trip from 7/14/2014 - 7/19/2014
About
two weeks ago my stage split into two groups and went on our "Tech
Trip." Half of us were sent first to Antananarivo and the other
sixteen took the grudging 5-6 hour trip to Antsirabe.
Luckily,
I was in the first group and only had to spend a few hours at a time
in the Peace Corps vans on the windy roads to Tana and then
Antsirabe. To put it simply, we visted schools, universities, and
English clubs to get a feel of what teaching English in Madagascar
would be like.
Although
there were moments of confusion, a bout of food poisoning, and lots
of time spent in the Peace Corp Vehicles, it was a trip that reminded
me of why I decided to do the Peace Corp and revved up my enthusiasm
to start my work as an Ed Volunteer here.
On
the first day, we went to an English Center in Tana and after
learning about their services to get students enrolled in colleges
abroad and help them with standardized tests like the SAT/ACT or
LSAT, we went in groups of three to talk to class rooms.
This
was the first time, but not the last time on our trip, we would see
how excited and extremely nervous the Malgasy people are to speak
English with Native Speakers. While explaining things like what
exactly the Peace Corp is and our different reasons for joining, and
answering complex questions like "Do you believe in God?"
or "Does everyone in America look like you?" A young woman
stated she had less of a question and more of a comment. She said
something along the lines of, "It is so courageous of you to
leave your families and everything you have to come help our country.
Thank you."
How
could you not tear up at a moment like that? We haven't even started
working yet and I was getting thanked for just making the decision to
come to Madagascar. It was a wonderful, beautiful moment. We were
thanked many more times on our trip for speaking English with
students, or taking time to visit their school. It was one of those
moments where I was so happy I was where I was, but yet conflicted
because I didn't feel like I had really done anything to have such
gracious amounts of gratitude sent my way.
The
most thrilling, beautiful, and magical moments from the trip was when
a school in Antsirabe welcomed us by performing a dance, singing
their anthem, a speach by the principle, and then small performances
by their cheerleaders, paton groups, and a male table jumping team
that was a mix between gymnastics and cheerleading.
After
this amazing performance, we were taking on a tour through the school
by the principle, who spoke of the schools dedication to its students
with such passion that a part of me just wanted to stay their to
help. One of the things he said was how valuable it was to have
volunteers, and that not only did they have one PCV at their school,
but many of their Malagasy teachers were volunteers who dedicated
their time to keeping the school going. Not only because many of the
paid staff would retire soon and he wasn't sure what they would do,
but because it showed students role models who were willing to help
others without asking for much in return.
I
knew this was a school in a fairly large city, and I couldn't imagine
what my future site's situation may be, but again - its a reminder
that these students need teachers and I'm being trained to fill that
role. It felt like a large load to take on, but knowing that other
volunteers had helped meant that I could also be a contributing
factor to improving their education system and as the principle
stated, by teaching students to take care of each other and
themselves, improving the future of a country through the faith and
hope we have for the students. A message that I feel is applicable
everywhere in the world.
Lastly,
after my return from Tech Trip I travled to the market with my host
mom to get groceries to make spaghetti and sauce to make lunch for my
host family. As we were leaving the market, a little girl asked her
father, "Vazaha ve?" (Vazaha is the word for any type of
foreigner - but particularily it is used for French people, whom
don't look too much different than I do) her father looked at me and
said "Tsia Vazaha. Americana izy." (Not a Vazaha, She is an
American).
It
felt really special to be placed in a category where I wasn't a
foreigner french person, but a American who the community knows
(because of its long history with Peace Corp) is their to help. I
felt like I had represented my country well in that moment. I wasn't
a tourist to that father & daughter pair, but an American.
So
magical!
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